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GUIDE TO THE PURCHASE OF
HOUSES IN ITALY
This guide, wants to be
helpful to the people interested in taking a great experience as the
purchase of a property in “Il Bel Paese”.
The pursuit of the house of
our dreams it’s a very important phase, because a property must have
certain characteristics to meet our needs and those of our family.
Sometimes the language’s barriers, a different country or the ignorance
of the law, can impede this stage making it difficult to take this
experience. For this reason it’s important to contact an estate agent,
professional and skilled person, who can help ourselves to choose the
best property, and above all, that will guide us, step by step, until
the conclusion of the whole affair, because he knows our needs. An
estate agent knows the market in which he operates, the local culture,
the purchase price of the properties, then is able to suggest us
suitable affairs befit to our needs and close to the real market value.
It’s good to know that in
Italy the mediation is regulated by law, so the mediator must be a
regular member of 'The register of Mediators Estate”, he must have a
VAT number, a society or an individual company registered on C.C.I.A.A.
The category’s associations give a further guarantee. One of this, is
the “FIAIP”, which is one of the best associations, because it does a
careful selection of the estate agents.
Found the house of our
dreams, here's how to proceed:
1)
First of all, if we contact an estate agent,
we can quietly stipulate with him a writing “offer”, where we propose
ourselves for the purchase of the property specifying: the amount that
we offer, the conditions and the delivery times. To the “offer” need to
add a deposit, usually an untransferable check intestate to the seller.
The same can be done by bank transfer (doing after the acceptance of the
offer).
2)
Secondly, there is the “preliminary” or the
“compromise” (which is stipulated at the mediator’s or notary’s
offices), where are further specified the terms and the conditions of
sale, where the deposit, previously paid, is reinforced (usually
between proposal and preliminary it reaches a 30% of the selling price)
and sets the date for the conclusion of the final act.
3)
Finally, we arrive to the "final act of sale".
Officially, in Italy only the notary can transfer the possession. The
notary guarantees about the good condition of the property, and that the
property is transferable for all purposes of law. Generally the estate
agent can suggest to you a good notary. It is also essential the aid of
a translator, who translates the document, and of a witness, who
confirms the correctness of the translation. Of course your estate agent
will give you a complete estimate of the notary costs, of the
translation, together with a copy of the translated act. The customer
has to read this document before coming in Italy to sign it.
Simultaneously, we must
decide whether to buy the property as a first or second home.
If you want to buy the
house as first home, you must be citizen of the European community, you
can not own other homes throughout the country, purchased by “First
home facility”, and you have to transfer the residency in Italy within
18 months from the signature of the final act. In this way you pay only
3% of the tax of the annuity land for the act of the purchase, you don’t
pay the annual communal tax for the possession of the property (ICI) and
the consumption of electricity, water and so on is paid in reduced
form.
If you buy the property as
second home, it is not be required the transfer of your residency, as
well as this, you have to pay 10% of the tax of the annuity land for the
act of the purchase, the annual communal tax for the possession of the
property (ICI) and a little bit more for electricity, water etc.. Even
in this case the advice of an estate agent and the counting of the costs
that he does, are essentials.
The last suggestion of this
guide is to contact a professional and qualified estate agent (don’t be
afraid to let yourself show the registration of his role and, above all,
mistrust from fraudsters that you can find on line). The estate agent
must guide you at all the stages of the purchase. Above all he has to
make your interests making of your dreams a solid reality.
Fabrizio Vitellino
Estate agent registered on the 876th role of Catania.
Registered on FIAIP, registered on C.C.I.U.K
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